Anti-Semitism

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the level of anti-Semitism in the UK.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	Association of Chief Police Officers National Community Tension Team (NCTT) regularly produces a Community Impact Assessment which contains an assessment on the state of community relations, this includes anti-Semitism. This material is not shared with the public, as it contains operational policing information. The NCTT liaises with the Community Security Trust (CST) at the national level on behalf of the police service. Forces with significant Jewish communities liaise closely at the local level. The Home Office's assessment of community relations also draws upon advice from Government Offices who in turn are informed by a wide range of community sources.

Asylum/Immigration

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers there are in Kingston upon Hull North constituency; and how many of them are children.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 24 April 2006
	Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on the support that the asylum seeker receives. The number of asylum seekers supported by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) are published on a quarterly and annual basis, broken down by Local Authority. The next publication covering the first quarter of 2006 will be published on the 23rd May 2006, and will be available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. Data on asylum seekers supported by NASS broken down by parliamentary constituency are also available from the Library of the House. Separate arrangements exist for unaccompanied asylum seeking children who are supported by local authorities; the local authority receives funding from the Home Office for this purpose. As at the end of March 2006 NASS was reimbursing Kingston upon Hull for providing support to 13 unaccompanied asylum seeking children, this figure is based on management information.

Asylum/Immigration

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken by his Department to ensure that victims of torture who seek refuge in the UK, including those whose asylum applications have failed, have access to medical treatment and counselling.

Tony McNulty: Asylum seekers receive NHS treatment free of charge while their claim is being considered. If they are to be dispersed, asylum claimants are advised on access to GP services in their dispersal area. If an asylum claim, including any appeal, is unsuccessful routine access to free NHS treatment will cease, although a course of treatment which has already started can be continued free of charge until the patient leaves the country. Immediately necessary treatment would not be withheld, regardless of whether the patient was chargeable or able to pay. In appropriate cases we will advise claimants of the existence of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture who are able to provide care, treatment and counselling.

Criminal Justice System

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to increase the priority given to victims by the criminal justice agencies; and what changes have been made to the criminal justice system (a) to take more account of the needs of victims and (b) to make the system more efficient and effective.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are committed to putting victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. In "Rebuilding Lives: supporting victims of crime" we set out our plans to improve support to victims of crime, by refocusing the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to provide more financial help to those most seriously injured and immediate, practical help to other victims through delivering Victim Care Units.
	The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime will help ensure victims get information about their case, and from April victims can enforce their rights through the parliamentary ombudsman. We are in the final stages of appointing a new Victim's Advisory Panel (the last panel has just completed their three-year tenure). The panel meets with CJS Ministers quarterly to advise on all aspects of services and support for victims of crime. We have increased the amount of money we spend on victims; Victim Support's funding has increased from under £12 million to £30 million .
	We have set up 165 Witness Care Units across England and Wales, giving victims and witnesses a single point of contact to help them through the court process. We have allocated over £3 million this year to improve accommodation facilities at court for witnesses. We have also consulted on proposals to pilot victims advocates in homicide cases. We have also established the Prosecutors' Pledge which sets out the level of service victims can expect to receive from prosecutors; reinforcing our commitment to victims.

Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2006, Official Report, column 813W, on the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the exclusion of non-religious belief groups from eligibility for grant money under the Faith Communities Capacity Fund with the provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998 relating to official discrimination between religious beliefs and non-religious beliefs; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	Non-religious belief groups were eligible for the Faith Communities Capacity Building fund. All voluntary and community sector organisations including secular ones were entitled to apply for funding provided they could satisfy the criteria.

Illegal Residents (Northern Ireland)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of how many people have been (a) residing illegally and (b) working illegally in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: Although it is impossible to determine accurately how many people are in the UK illegally, the Home Office published a report which included an estimate of the size of the illegal migrant population in the UK in 2001. A copy of the RDS On-line report 29/05 Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001 can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/notes/june_summaries.html#rdsolr2905. The method used relies on data from the Census undertaken every 10 years, so it is not possible to produce an estimate for other years. Nor is it possible, using this methodology, to estimate the number living in Northern Ireland. No estimate has been made of the number of people who have been working illegally in Northern Ireland.

Migrant Workers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many migrant worker work permits were granted to farms in Bassetlaw in the last three years, broken down by country of origin.

Tony McNulty: Approvals for individuals to work in the UK agricultural sector are granted under the Work Permit Scheme, the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) and the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). The following tables show the approval information for each of the schemes.
	PQ 69738 tables
	
		
			 Work Permit Scheme 
			  2003 2004 2005 
			 Pakistan 0 1 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Worker Registration Scheme 
			  2004 2005 
			 Czech Republic 2 0 
			 Estonia 0 6 
			 Latvia 4 8 
			 Lithuania 2 3 
			 Poland 15 41 
			 Total 23 58 
			 Note: The Worker Registration Scheme has only operated from 1 May 2004. 
		
	
	
		
			 Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme 
			  2004 2005 
			 Belarus 0 2 
			 Bulgaria 8 16 
			 Lithuania 4 0 
			 Russia 10 0 
			 Ukraine 2 17 
			 Total 24 35 
			 Note:  Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme applicants are recruited by Home Office contracted operators and information is only collated for those workers registered on the scheme. Previous to 2004 records were not collected as to which area of the country the workers were deployed to and therefore information is only available for the Bassetlaw area as from that date. 
		
	
	This data is not provided under National Statistics protocols. It has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.

Prisoners (Hampshire)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK nationals (a) are serving and (b) have completed in each of the past five years, prison sentences in Hampshire for (i) murder, (ii) manslaughter, (iii) grievous bodily harm, (iv) rape and (v) sexual offences against children; and how many of those released in each category served half of their sentence or less.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 11 May 2006
	The information requested on UK nationals being held in prisons in Hampshire by type of offence, as recorded on the central prison IT system, is provided in the attached table. This IT system does not specify sexual offences against children as a separate category, so information is not available for those offences. The information requested on how many prisoners have been discharged from sentences from prisons in Hampshire is not available.
	The only way in which an offender would have been released before the half way point would have been on home detention curfew which, for prisoners sentenced under the Criminal Justice Act 1991, is statutory restricted to those sentenced to less than four years and not convicted of a grave offence. Those who are eligible are then subject to risk assessment. So few of these offenders will have been released before the halfway point.
	
		
			 Population of sentenced UK nationals in Hampshire prisons by offence and sentence length, 2002-06 
			  June 2002 June 2003 
			  All Less than 4 years 4 years to less than life Life All Less than 4 years 4 years to less than life Life 
			 All 223 31 20 172 218 31 16 171 
			 Murder 158 0 0 158 157 0 0 157 
			 Manslaughter 7 2 3 2 4 0 1 3 
			 Wounding (inflicting GBH) 36 15 13 8 34 15 12 7 
			 Assault occasioning GBH 13 13 0 0 17 16 1 0 
			 Assault with intent to cause GBH 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Rape 9 1 4 4 6 0 1 5 
		
	
	
		
			  June 2004 June 2005 
			  All Less than 4 years 4 years to less than life Life All Less than 4 years 4 years to less than life Life 
			 All 187 37 19 131 228 38 19 171 
			 Murder 118 0 0 118 146 0 0 146 
			 Manslaughter 6 2 0 4 4 0 0 4 
			 Wounding (inflicting GBH) 40 22 14 4 38 15 16 7 
			 Assault occasioning GBH 12 12 0 0 21 20 1 0 
			 Assault with intent to cause GBH 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Rape 11 1 5 5 18 3 1 14 
		
	
	
		
			  March 2006 
			  All Less than 4 years 4 years to less than life Life 
			 All 243 42 1 180 
			 Murder 151 0 0 151 
			 Manslaughter 2 1 0 1 
			 Wounding (inflicting GBH) 53 21 18 14 
			 Assault occasioning GBH 20 20 0 0 
			 Assault with intent to cause GBH 0 0 0 0 
			 Rape 17 0 3 14

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health about the merits of giving the Healthcare Commission statutory authority to monitor and evaluate the adequacy of mental health care provision across the prison estate.

Gerry Sutcliffe: National health service primary care trusts (PCTs) assumed full responsibility for the commissioning of prison health services in the public prisons in England in April 2006. HM Prison Service previously held this commissioning responsibility. The main aim of this transfer is to help ensure that prisoners receive a similar level of service from the national health service as that received by the general public.
	As part of this, the statutory authority for the Healthcare Commission to performance manage prison health services, including mental health services, was automatically assumed when responsibility for commissioning prison health services was transferred to the national health service. The Healthcare Commission has responsibility for the assessment and performance of NHS organisations, which includes Primary Care Trusts with responsibility for prison health services.

Probation Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the estimates of additional probation staff needed to implement the Criminal Justice Bill 2003 contained in explanatory notes published on 21 November 2002 are still valid.

Gerry Sutcliffe: On 3 April in answer to the hon. Gentleman's written question number 63078 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 354W, I provided details of substantial increases in probation staffing since 1997 and of further planned increases. Comparison with the estimates that were made three and a half years ago is difficult because the changes introduced through the 2003 Criminal Justice Act are not the only ones to affect deployment of probation resources. We are monitoring the courts' use of the new sentences in the 2003 Act and, thus far, the sentences are being imposed broadly in line with the planning assumptions that informed the explanatory notes.

British Nuclear Group

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discount rate has been used to calculate the nuclear liabilities of British Nuclear Group in preparation for its sale by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.

Barry Gardiner: Following the European Commission's decision on State Aid as announced on 4 April (press release reference IP/06/428), financial responsibility for the civil nuclear liabilities of BNFL including British Nuclear Group was assumed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority with effect from 31 March 2006. The sale of BNG was agreed to in the expectation that the State Aid decision would be favourable in allowing for this assumption of financial responsibility. As such, the sale of BNG does not include those nuclear liabilities and no calculations were needed.

Disability Pay Gap

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the pay gap between able-bodied and disabled workers in (a) Kingston upon Hull, North and (b) the UK in each year between 1997 and 2005; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce that gap.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Low Pay Commission reported that, in 2004, the pay gap for people with a work-limiting disability was 13 percentage points. This Department is not aware of any further data on the pay gap between disabled and non-disabled workers in Kingston upon Hull or the UK in the years 1997 to 2005.
	The Equal Opportunities Commission's Code of Practice on Equal Pay recommends that it is good practice for employers, when comparing the pay between men and women to also look at disability and seek advice from the Disability Rights Commission to ensure that the relevant provisions of the disability legislation are taken into account.
	As a result of a strong economy and active labour market policies, the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people is starting to close. The employment rate for disabled people was 38.1 per cent. in spring 1998, rising to 46.6 per cent. by spring 2005; over the same period, the employment gap fell from 35.1 per cent. to 28 per cent.
	The DTI supports the recommendations in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report, "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People" and the aims of the Office for Disability Issues and contributes to implementing recommendations within its area of responsibility.

Ethanol

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the government of Brazil about the implications for the UK of its experience of the use of ethanol as a fuel.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not held any direct discussions with the Brazilians on the use of ethanol. However, the Prime Minister discussed the benefits of bioethanol with President Lula during his state visit to the UK in March. Part of the discussion focused on the study scoping a possible Brazil: UK: Africa Partnership on Bioethanol that is currently being undertaken by E4tech for the Office of Science and Innovation. This project arises from a visit made to Brazil by the UK Government's Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir David King, as part of the preparations for the UK G8 Summit in Gleneagles in July 2005. The final report on the study will be available for discussion at the Brazil:UK Science Days at the Royal Society on 22 and 23 May. The aim of the project is to try and address two difficult global problems, climate change and African development, through a tri-partite partnership. Work is currently focused around achieving a win on climate change and African development through development of production capacity from sugar cane.

International Energy Agency

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on UK (a) policy on and (b) contributions to the International Energy Agency.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 11 May 2006
	The Government believe the International Energy Agency (the IEA) carries out an important role as expert energy adviser to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (the OECD).
	The IEA organised the collective release of emergency oil stocks held by member states to address the loss of supplies and to restore confidence to the oil market in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It is also an international respected centre of technical energy expertise and is involved in the Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development. The G8 asked the IEA to undertake significant work under the Gleneagles Plan of Action.
	In 2005 the UK paid an annual subscription of €1,459,674 (£962,833 at today's rates). The UK also made additional voluntary contributions from the Global Opportunities Fund that, in 2005, amounted to £144,695. The UK, as part of the G8, also made a contribution of €1 million to fund the work under the Gleneagles Plan of Action.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bereavement awards have been paid out as part of a miner's industrial disease claim in each year since 1999.

Malcolm Wicks: In total, 32,681 bereavement awards have been paid out as part of miners' industrial disease claims since 1999. The annual breakdown is as set out as follows:
	
		
			 Number of bereavement awards paid 
			  Number 
			 1999 1,324 
			 2000 3,186 
			 2001 3,789 
			 2002 5,040 
			 2003 4,634 
			 2004 5,242 
			 2005 7,006 
			 2006(1) 2,460 
			 (1) As at 7 May.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) minimum and (b) maximum costs (i) have been claimed from and (ii) paid by his Department for common law (A) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (B) vibration white finger claims since 1999.

Malcolm Wicks: The minimum and maximum costs claimed are not readily available but the sums paid each year since 1999 are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 
			 £ 
			  Minimum Maximum 
			 1999 ? ? 
			 2000 1,048 4,600 
			 2001 1,048 76,000 
			 2002 1,076 21,500 
			 2003 2,181 35,500 
			 2004 529 56,539 
			 2005 1,188 26,609 
			 2006 1,452 32,017 
		
	
	
		
			 Vibration white finger 
			 £ 
			  Minimum Maximum 
			 1999 705 7,603 
			 2000 588 10,927 
			 2001 180 8,001 
			 2002 75 9,070 
			 2003 433 10,875 
			 2004 347 18,088 
			 2005 588 12,500 
			 2006 971 15,058

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which private contractors have signed up to his Department's claims handling agreement for mining diseases.

Malcolm Wicks: UK Coal, the largest of British Coal's successor companies, has signed up to the respiratory disease Claims Handling Agreement (CHA) as has AGF, the insurers of the small mines owners.
	A list of Coal Mining Contractors who are party to the 1999 VWF CHA(1) follows:
	A. Monk and Co. Ltd. (now Kvaerner Construction Ltd.)
	AM Mining Services Ltd. (dissolved 7 May 2002)
	Amalgamated Construction Company Ltd.
	Caledonian Mining Company Ltd. (now Calsafe Group Ltd. incorporating Caledonian Building Systems Ltd).
	CEMEC
	Cementation Mining Ltd.
	Cleveland Potash
	Davy Mining Ltd.
	Derek Crouch Mining Ltd.
	G. Elect Services Ltd.
	Hollybank Engineering Ltd.
	James Williams (Neath) Ltd.
	Kvaerner Construction Ltd.
	Low Valley Engineering and Shot Blasting Ltd.
	Matthew Hall Mining Ltd.
	MB Installations and Site Services
	Mining Skills Ltd.
	National Plant and Transport
	OMEC Engineering
	Small Mines
	Specialist Mining Services Ltd.
	T. Bridges and Co. Ltd.
	Techplus Mining Ltd.
	Thyssen (GB) Ltd.
	Trafalgar House Group
	UK Coal Mining Limited
	West Riding Technology
	Coal Investment
	Hatfield Colliery
	Midland Mining Ltd.
	Tower Colliery
	(1 )Please note that the VWF CHA has since been amended by negotiation with the Claimants Steering Group, which the above Coal Mining Contractors are only in agreement with in part

Offshore Petroleum Licensing

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 13 March 2006, Official Report, columns 91-92WS, on offshore petroleum licensing, what protection is in place in the 24th round of offshore petroleum licensing for Cardigan Bay, as a special area of conservation.

Malcolm Wicks: There are several types of protection which will be afforded to any special areas of conservation within Cardigan Bay.
	Prior to commencing the 24th Licence Round, my officials carried out a strategic environmental assessment in order to predict and evaluate the environmental implications of the round.
	We will shortly be conducting an "Appropriate Assessment" (pursuant to the habitats and birds directives) of potential impacts of the 24th Licence Round. An Appropriate Assessment will enable my officials to ascertain whether the proposed plan or project is likely to have an adverse effect on the integrity of a relevant site. In carrying out this Appropriate Assessment we will consult the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
	Should any licences be granted and the operators subsequently apply to undertake activities that are likely to have a significant effect on a relevant site within Cardigan Bay then further Appropriate Assessments will be conducted at the project level. In addition, an environmental impact assessment may also be required as part of the permit application process.
	These assessments will be used to determine what type of activity may be licensed or consented and/or what form of mitigation should be applied.

Post Office Card Account

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will compensate those post offices which will be affected by the proposed withdrawal of the Post Office card account.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Post Office Ltd and Department for Work and Pensions are currently discussing various options to help mitigate any impact on post offices resulting from the end of the Post Office card account.

Share Certificates

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's policy is on the removal of share certificates under a programme of dematerialisation; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Government have welcomed the work of an industry working group which is looking at options for greater use of paper free holding and transfer of shares. The responses to the "Company Law Reform" White Paper of March 2005 showed strong support for this initiative, but it is also clear that more information is needed on the costs and benefits of a paper free approach. The Government does not wish to rule out any option at this stage, and has therefore decided to extend the existing power relating to transfer of securities under section 207 of the Companies Act 1989 so that it could be used to require, as well as to permit, the paper free holding and transfer of company shares. In doing so, we wish to ensure that the new arrangements for paperless holding and transfer of securities do not deprive individual shareholders of existing rights which may be important to them.

Telephone Numbers

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many possible telephone numbers had not been issued to subscribers or service providers (a) in the UK, (b) on the Isle of Wight and (c) in each London code area (i) immediately before the revisions to the numbering system in (A) 1990, (B) 1995 and (C) 2000 and (ii) at the most recent date for which information is available.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 24 April 2006
	The matter raised is the responsibility of the Regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Television Licences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the value of the business brought to the post office by its sale of television licences.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The value of the business brought to the post office by the sale of television licences derives from a commercial contract with the BBC, and is therefore an operational matter for the company. I have asked Alan Cook the Managing Director of Post Office Ltd. to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Thorp Reprocessing Plant

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely timescale for reopening the Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estimates that the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) is likely to be ready to reopen in the summer. A decision on whether to restart rests with the NDA Board is subject to the Health and Safety Executive's safety requirements being met. The Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate will not allow THORP to restart until it is satisfied that these safety requirements have been met.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what testing methods are used by the UK Government to detect (a) the H7 strain of avian influenza, (b) the H5N1 strain of avian influenza and (c) other strains of avian influenza; what information he has received on the methods used in other countries in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK national laboratory at the Veterinary Laboratory Agency (VLA), Weybridge follows standard international protocols (including EU directives) to detect avian influenza viruses.
	A combination of screening and confirmatory tests are used. Initially, samples are screened using a rapid, highly sensitive and specific real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) that detects all influenza A viruses. Further tests of this type are used specifically for the detection of H5 and H7 subtypes, in addition to conventional PCR tests that provide information on the pathogenicity of the virus.
	In all cases involving suspicion of disease in poultry, or following positive detection in any host, virus isolation in embryonated fowls' eggs is carried out to provide further characterisation. In addition, especially for H5 or H7 viruses, blood samples are analysed for virus-specific antibodies using standard haemagglutination inhibition tests.
	As an international reference laboratory—and the EU community reference laboratory for avian influenza—the VLA takes a leading role in developing new technologies for diagnosis, together with the transfer and standardisation of such methodologies to other laboratories. The Agency is also responsible for ensuring test harmonisation across all national laboratories and ensuring that common testing methodologies are used.

Climate Change

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to address the effects on the UK of global warming; and what further steps he plans to take in the next five years.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 11 May 2006
	The recently published climate change programme in March 2006, sets out the Government's commitments both at international and domestic level to meet the challenge of climate change. The Programme contains a series of measures between now and 2010 both to further reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and bring us closer to our domestic target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. The programme also contains commitments to adapt to that climate change which is already unavoidable.
	Further information on the new climate change programme can be found on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/index.htm

Community Energy Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the Community energy programme has had its funding programme curtailed; and what alternatives have been put in place.

Ian Pearson: The recent climate change programme review involved a wide-ranging appraisal of the effectiveness of existing climate change policies. We have concluded that other programmes deliver carbon savings in a more cost-effective way, compared with the Community energy programme. These include support for biomass community heating through the new heat support scheme, which will include combined heat and power.

Environment Agency

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether Crown copyright applies to Environment Agency data.

Ian Pearson: Crown Copyright applies to the Crown and Government Departments. As the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body (NDPB), Crown Copyright does not apply to Environment Agency data.
	The Office of Public Sector Information lists Crown and non-Crown bodies on its website at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copyright/uk-crown-bodies.htm.

Environmental Industries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the EU Commission on EU support for environmental industries.

Ian Pearson: UK Ministers and officials regularly discuss EU support for environmental industries with the European Commission. Under the UK presidency of the EU, my predecessor, my hon. Friend Elliot Morley MP, hosted a stakeholder forum on environmental technologies alongside Environment Commissioner Dimas on 1 December 2005 in Brussels. In addition, the UK has played an active role in the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan since its adoption. We continue to promote ways of facilitating the uptake of environmental technologies, including through the Community research programmes and financial instruments.

GM Crops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent announcement by the EU Food Safety Authority on the long-term safety of GM crops.

Ian Pearson: I understand the hon. gentleman to be referring to the press release issued by the European Commission on 12 April. This document did not make any new claims or provide any new evidence relating to the issue of the long term safety of GM crops. Its purpose was instead to give details of certain proposed measures which provide reassurance that Community decisions on GMOs are based on high quality scientific assessments which deliver a high level of protection for human health and the environment.
	The Government believe that the Community decisions on GMOs are already taken on the basis of high quality scientific assessments which provide a high level of protection for human health and the environment. However, we support this initiative from the Commission which aims to improve the transparency of the procedures in place.

Water Metering

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of households in each water company area has water meters; and what percentage of all households was metered in (a) 1990, (b) 2000 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. Each year it records the percentage of household customers with meters on an individual company and industry wide basis. This information is published by Ofwat in its 'Security of supply, leakage and the efficient use of water' report.
	Ofwat holds reliable figures on the percentage of metered properties from 1992-93 onwards. Figures for the period 1990-92 are not available. The latest reporting year for which figures are available is 2004-05. Household metering projections
	
		
			 Household metering projections 
			 Percentage 
			 Measured Household Properties 1992-1993 1999-2000 2004-05 
			 Anglian and Hartlepool 4 42 54 
			 Dwr Cymru / Welsh 3 7 19 
			 United Utilities 2 9 17 
			 Northumbrian (North) 1 5 11 
			 Northumbrian (South) 2 23 35 
			 Severn Trent 5 17 24 
			 South West 4 23 46 
			 Southern 10 18 27 
			 Thames 2 16 20 
			 Wessex 5 23 33 
			 Yorkshire and York 3 18 27 
			 Bournemouth and West Hampshire 3 18 37 
			 Bristol 3 14 23 
			 Cambridge 5 42 54 
			 Dee Valley 4 20 34 
			 Folkestone and Dover 3 29 41 
			 Mid Kent 3 18 33 
			 Portsmouth 0 1 5 
			 South East 4 21 29 
			 South Staffordshire 3 9 15 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 1 12 19 
			 Tendring Hundred 5 33 61 
			 Three valleys 3 14 23 
			 Industry 3 17 26

Water Shortages

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the amount of water likely to be lost due to leaks in pipes owned by water companies over the next decade; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Director General of Water Services publishes leakage figures annually in the 'Security of supply, leakage and the efficient use of water' reports. Leakage targets are set by Ofwat, currently up to 2009-10. If all water companies were to meet these targets, total water company leakage would be 3,336 Megalitres/day by 2009-10, a reduction of 272 Megalitres/day from 2004-05 figures.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House what percentage of his private office staff is (a) male, (b) female and (c) disabled.

Nigel Griffiths: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has 12 staff, 67 per cent. are male and 33 per cent. female.
	The provision of personal information on disability is optional and is held on individual staff files. Owing to the nature and size of the Office, providing this information could result in the identification of individuals.

First Level 3 Qualifications

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2006, Official Report, column 1591W, on first level 3 qualifications, how many 19 to 25-year-olds studying for a first level 3 qualification are paying fees for the course in each region in England.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 9 May 2006
	The following table shows the number of 19 to 25-year-olds who were studying for a full level 3 or equivalent qualification(1) in further education in the academic year 2004/05 by region, and the number of those in each region who did not receive any fee remission.
	
		
			 Region of learner Level 3 learners Level 3 fee payers Percentage of fee payers 
			 North East 2,568 807 31 
			 North West 6,572 1,845 28 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 4,380 1,260 29 
			 East Midlands 3,927 960 24 
			 West Midlands 4,844 1,198 25 
			 East of England 3,652 1,491 41 
			 Greater London 6,431 1,978 31 
			 South East 6,840 2,323 34 
			 South West 4,866 1,970 40 
			 Region unknown 1,056 382 36 
			 Total 45,136 14,214 31 
			 Notes:  1. We estimate that of the 45,000 19 to 25-year-olds in England who were studying for a full level 3 in 2004/05, 22,000 were studying for a first full level 3 qualification.  2. We do not have estimates for "firstness" at a regional level, due to insufficient sample sizes in the research into prior qualifications in FE.  3. The research suggests that, nationally, there is no difference in the proportion receiving fee remission between first and non-first full level 3 learners.  Source:  Individualised Learner Record, 2004/05 
		
	
	(1)Does not include Access to HE qualifications or wholly privately funded study aims.

Free School Meals

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of children in each school in Worcester city (a) receive free school meals and (b) are eligible for free school meals.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the table.
	Two sets of figures relating to the number and proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals are given here. The first includes all pupils in the school, regardless of their age. The second includes full-time pupils aged up to (and including) 15 and part-time pupils aged five to 15 (inclusive). This second coverage is as used in the Pupil Achievement Tracker and Ofsted's PANDA reports and provides consistent school level comparisons.
	
		
			 Maintained primary and secondary schools: school meal arrangements, January 2005, Worcester parliamentary constituency 
			 All pupils(1) 
			 URN LEA number Estab number School name Number on roll Number of pupils taking free school meals(3) Percentage of pupils taking free school meals Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 116749 885 2161 Worcester, Cherry Orchard Primary School 603 26 4.3 30 5.0 
			 116750 885 2162 Worcester, Cranham Primary School 418 49 11.7 49 11.7 
			 116751 885 2163 Worcester, Dines Green Primary School 204 58 28.4 61 29.9 
			 116752 885 2167 Gorse Hill Community Primary School 319 94 29.5 118 37.0 
			 116753 885 2171 Worcester, Northwick Manor Infants' School 262 (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 
			 116754 885 2172 Worcester, Nunnery Wood Primary School 302 30 9.9 35 11.6 
			 116755 885 2173 Worcester, Perdiswell Primary School 400 12 3.0 13 3.3 
			 116756 885 2176 Worcester, Ronkswood Junior School 275 57 20.7 57 20.7 
			 116757 885 2177 Worcester, Ronkswood Infants' School 236 40 16.9 42 17.8 
			 116758 885 2178 Worcester, Northwick Manor Junior School 326 7 2.1 7 2.1 
			 116759 885 2179 Worcester, Stanley Road Primary School 256 22 8.6 29 11.3 
			 116760 885 2181 Worcester, Warndon Junior School 290 52 17.9 69 23.8 
			 116761 885 2182 Worcester. Warndon Infants' School 233 39 16.7 45 19.3 
			 116769 885 2200 Worcester, Pitmaston Primary School 601 23 3.8 32 5.3 
			 116770 885 2202 Worcester, Oldbury Park Primary School 396 17 4.3 19 4.8 
			 131274 885 2918 Lyppard Grange Primary School 310 9 2.9 9 2.9 
			 116858 885 3114 Worcester, St. Barnabas C of E Primary School 419 21 5.0 53 12.6 
			 116859 885 3116 Worcester, Red Hill C of E Primary School 300 6 2.0 6 2.0 
			 116921 885 3387 Worcester, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary 188 3 1.6 4 2.1 
			 116922 885 3388 Worcester, St. Clement's C of E Primary 260 33 12.7 34 13.1 
			 116923 885 3389 Worcester, St. George's C of E Primary School 205 29 14.1 33 16.1 
			 116924 885 3390 Worcester, St. George's Catholic Primary School 205 (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 
			 116925 885 3391 Worcester, St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School 208 12 5.8 12 5.8 
			 134707 885 3394 Fairfield Community Primary School 141 0 0.0 39 27.7 
			 116977 885 4431 Elgar Technology College 957 150 15.7 211 22.0 
			 116978 885 4432 Christopher Whitehead High School 1,153 104 9.0 157 13.6 
			 116979 885 4434 Worcester, Nunnery Wood High School 1,346 (4)— (4)— 106 7.9 
			 116993 885 4754 Bishop Perowne C of E High School 1,047 47 4.5 64 6.1 
			 116999 885 5402 Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College 1,048 49 4.7 63 6.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Pupil Achievement Tracker(2) 
			 URN LEA number Estab number School name Number of pupils Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 116749 885 2161 Worcester, Cherry Orchard Primary School 603 30 5.0 
			 116750 885 2162 Worcester, Cranham Primary School 371 49 13.2 
			 116751 885 2163 Worcester, Dines Green Primary School 183 61 33.3 
			 116752 885 2167 Gorse Hill Community Primary School 272 118 43.4 
			 116753 885 2171 Worcester, Northwick Manor Infants' School 261 (4)— (4)— 
			 116754 885 2172 Worcester, Nunnery Wood Primary School 301 35 11.6 
			 116755 885 2173 Worcester, Perdiswell Primary School 396 13 3.3 
			 116756 885 2176 Worcester, Ronkswood Junior School 275 57 20.7 
			 116757 885 2177 Worcester, Ronkswood Infants' School 166 35 21.1 
			 116758 885 2178 Worcester, Northwick Manor Junior School 326 7 2.1 
			 116759 885 2179 Worcester, Stanley Road Primary School 215 28 13.0 
			 116760 885 2181 Worcester, Warndon Junior School 290 69 23.8 
			 116761 885 2182 Worcester. Warndon Infants' School 181 45 24.9 
			 116769 885 2200 Worcester, Pitmaston Primary School 601 32 5.3 
			 116770 885 2202 Worcester, Oldbury Park Primary School 396 19 4.8 
			 131274 885 2918 Lyppard Grange Primary School 310 9 2.9 
			 116858 885 3114 Worcester, St. Barnabas C of E Primary School 419 53 12.6 
			 116859 885 3116 Worcester, Red Hill C of E Primary School 300 6 2.0 
			 116921 885 3387 Worcester, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary 188 4 2.1 
			 116922 885 3388 Worcester, St. Clement's C of E Primary 216 26 12.0 
			 116923 885 3389 Worcester, St. George's C of E Primary School 205 33 16.1 
			 116924 885 3390 Worcester, St. George's Catholic Primary School 205 (4)— (4)— 
			 116925 885 3391 Worcester, St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School 208 12 5.8 
			 134707 885 3394 Fairfield Community Primary School 105 35 33.3 
			 116977 885 4431 Elgar Technology College 955 211 22.1 
			 116978 885 4432 Christopher Whitehead High School 1,151 157 13.6 
			 116979 885 4434 Worcester, Nunnery Wood High School 1,346 106 7.9 
			 116993 885 4754 Bishop Perowne C of E High School 1,046 64 6.1 
			 116999 885 5402 Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College 1,048 63 6.0 
			 (1) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration of all ages.  (2) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration who are full-time and aged 0 to 15 (inclusive) and those who are part-time and aged five to 15 (inclusive).  (3) Number of pupils who took a free school meal on the day of the census in January.  (4) Less than three or a rate based on less than three.

Head Teachers

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools do not have a permanent head teacher.

Jim Knight: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of full-time temporary filled head teacher posts is available from the annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies held in January each year. Table 9 of Statistical First Release 18/2006 provides a snapshot of temporarily filled head teacher posts as at January for each year available. This publication is available on the Department's website at the following URL: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000653/index.shtml. A copy has been placed in the House of Common's Library.

School Statistics

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of children are educated in private schools in each local authority area.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Independent schools: number and percentage of pupils January 2006 (provisional)(1)—by local authority 
			   Number of pupils in independent schools Percentage of pupils in independent schools(2) 
			  England(3) 563,780 6.9 
			 
			  North East(3) 12,980 3.1 
			 841 Darlington 706 4.3 
			 840 Durham 2,066 2.6 
			 390 Gateshead 727 2.4 
			 805 Hartlepool 0 0.0 
			 806 Middlesbrough 26 0.1 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,772 11.3 
			 392 North Tyneside 1,019 3.2 
			 929 Northumberland 604 1.2 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0.0 
			 393 South Tyneside 0 0.0 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 1,822 5.7 
			 394 Sunderland 1,236 2.7 
			 
			  North West(3) 56,160 4.9 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 2,817 10.0 
			 890 Blackpool 1,140 5.2 
			 350 Bolton 3,140 6.4 
			 351 Bury 4,203 13.0 
			 875 Cheshire 8,376 7.5 
			 909 Cumbria 3,378 4.2 
			 876 Halton 11 0.1 
			 340 Knowsley 21 0.1 
			 888 Lancashire 6,802 3.8 
			 341 Liverpool 2,378 3.2 
			 352 Manchester 6,490 8.9 
			 353 Oldham 1,573 3.8 
			 354 Rochdale 388 1.1 
			 355 Salford 1,946 5.7 
			 343 Sefton 3,318 6.9 
			 342 St. Helens 742 2.6 
			 356 Stockport 4,773 10.4 
			 357 Tameside 229 0.6 
			 358 Trafford 2,094 5.5 
			 877 Warrington 7 0.0 
			 359 Wigan 0 0.0 
			 344 Wirral 2,335 4.3 
			 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber(3) 32,990 3.9 
			 370 Barnsley 225 0.6 
			 380 Bradford 3,623 3.9 
			 381 Calderdale 1,419 3.9 
			 371 Doncaster 591 1.2 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,815 3.5 
			 810 Kingston upon Hull, City of 1,119 2.8 
			 382 Kirklees 1,881 2.9 
			 383 Leeds 5,054 4.4 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 435 1.7 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 223 0.9 
			 815 North Yorkshire 6,628 7.0 
			 372 Rotherham 261 0.6 
			 373 Sheffield 2,866 3.7 
			 384 Wakefield 4,387 7.8 
			 816 York 2,460 9.3 
			 
			  East Midlands(3) 33,490 4.8 
			 831 Derby 1,231 3.0 
			 830 Derbyshire 4,597 3.9 
			 856 Leicester 3,206 6.4 
			 855 Leicestershire 5,318 5.3 
			 925 Lincolnshire 4,577 4.2 
			 928 Northamptonshire 6,096 5.4 
			 892 Nottingham 3,313 7.8 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 2,995 2.4 
			 857 Rutland 2,161 30.4 
			 
			  West Midlands(3) 43,420 4.8 
			 330 Birmingham 7,661 4.2 
			 331 Coventry 3,014 5.8 
			 332 Dudley 257 0.5 
			 884 Herefordshire 2,016 7.9 
			 333 Sandwell 14 0.0 
			 893 Shropshire 4,974 11.0 
			 334 Solihull 2,032 5.2 
			 860 Staffordshire 4,518 3.4 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 120 0.3 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 829 2.9 
			 335 Walsall 1,010 2.0 
			 937 Warwickshire 6,766 8.1 
			 336 Wolverhampton 1,794 4.2 
			 885 Worcestershire 8,417 9.5 
			 
			  East of England(3) 62,650 6.9 
			 820 Bedfordshire 5,687 8.1 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 8,219 9.5 
			 881 Essex 10,678 5.1 
			 919 Hertfordshire 20,943 10.6 
			 821 Luton 713 2.2 
			 926 Norfolk 6,387 5.3 
			 874 Peterborough 380 1.3 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 1,357 4.8 
			 935 Suffolk 8,287 7.6 
			 883 Thurrock 0 0.0 
			 
			  London(3) 120,390 10.0 
			  Inner London(3) 57,610 13.4 
			 202 Camden 7,266 25.0 
			 201 City of London 1,903 89.2 
			 204 Hackney 3,962 13.1 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 5,180 23.0 
			 309 Haringey 2,154 5.9 
			 206 Islington 588 2.5 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 10,604 49.2 
			 208 Lambeth 2,083 6.6 
			 209 Lewisham 1,873 5.0 
			 316 Newham 535 1.1 
			 210 Southward 5,130 12.2 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 906 2.3 
			 212 Wandsworth 8,202 21.5 
			 213 Westminster 7,227 26.7 
			 
			  Outer London(3) 62,780 8.1 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 0 0.0 
			 302 Barnet 6,416 11.9 
			 303 Bexley 732 1.8 
			 304 Brent 1,651 3.8 
			 305 Bromley 4,515 8.8 
			 306 Croydon 6,859 11.8 
			 307 Ealing 5,121 10.6 
			 308 Enfield 1,519 3.0 
			 203 Greenwich 3,032 7.5 
			 310 Harrow 4,995 14.7 
			 311 Havering 886 2.4 
			 312 Hillingdon 3,703 7.9 
			 313 Hounslow 976 2.6 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 3,576 14.2 
			 315 Merton 3,283 12.1 
			 317 Redbridge 3,833 7.8 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 8,401 29.2 
			 319 Sutton 1,543 4.7 
			 320 Waltham Forest 1,740 4.5 
			 
			  South East(3) 142,460 10.9 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 2,659 14.9 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 4,002 11.7 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 8,672 10.2 
			 845 East Sussex 7,107 9.7 
			 850 Hampshire 15,886 8.4 
			 921 Isle of Wight 770 3.8 
			 886 Kent 17,461 7.5 
			 887 Medway 1,533 3.4 
			 826 Milton Keynes 1,130 3.0 
			 931 Oxfordshire 15,383 15.2 
			 851 Portsmouth 3,279 11.8 
			 870 Reading 2,850 14.4 
			 871 Slough 765 3.5 
			 852 Southampton 1,750 5.9 
			 936 Surrey 37,411 21.1 
			 869 West Berkshire 3,054 10.9 
			 938 West Sussex 11,303 9.7 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 4,491 18.9 
			 872 Wokingham 2,956 11.2 
			 
			  South West(3) 59,230 7.6 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 4,314 14.7 
			 837 Bournemouth 1,506 6.8 
			 801 Bristol, City of 8,578 15.1 
			 908 Cornwall 2,740 3.6 
			 878 Devon 8,284 7.8 
			 835 Dorset 5,004 8.3 
			 916 Gloucestershire 8,317 8.9 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 0 0.0 
			 802 North Somerset 1,012 3.5 
			 879 Plymouth 1,242 3.1 
			 836 Poole 730 3.6 
			 933 Somerset 9,268 11.6 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 575 1.4 
			 866 Swindon 65 0.2 
			 880 Torbay 766 3.8 
			 865 Wiltshire 6,828 9.4 
			 (1) Figures are based on survey returns from around 94 per cent. of independent schools. No estimation has been made for those survey returns that are outstanding.(2) Number of pupils in independent schools expressed as a percentage of pupils in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, all special schools, pupil referral units, city technology colleges, academies, direct grant nurseries and independent schools.(3) National and regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between totals and constituent parts.Source:Annual Schools Census

Specialist Schools

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 4 May 2005, Official Report, column 1764W, on specialist schools, if he will list the 45 specialist schools who select by aptitude; and what the specialism is of each.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 May 2006
	The following table shows the names of the 45 specialist schools that select by aptitude and the specialism of each. This data was accurate as of the 1 September 2001; the Department no longer collects this data.
	
		
			 Specialism School Local authority 
			 Arts (Perf) Brentwood Ursuline Convent School Essex 
			 Arts (Visual) Chestnut Grove School Wandsworth 
			 Arts (Perf) Eastwood School (The) Southend on Sea 
			 Arts (Perf) Intake High School Leeds 
			 Arts (Perf) Latimer Community Arts College Northamptonshire 
			 Arts (Perf) North Kesteven School Lincolnshire 
			 Arts Springwood Norfolk 
			 Arts St. Benedict City of Derby 
			 Arts (Perf) St. Marylebone School (The) Westminster 
			 Arts (Perf) Stantonbury Campus North Milton Keynes 
			 Language Bohunt School Hampshire 
			 Language Goffs Hertfordshire 
			 Language Hendon School Barnet, LB of 
			 Language Hockerill Anglo European Sch Hertfordshire 
			 Language Kings Norton Girls Birmingham 
			 Language Montsaye Northamptonshire 
			 Language Robert Pattinson School Lincolnshire 
			 Sports Oldfield School Bath and NE Somerset 
			 Sports Southfields Community College Wandsworth, LB of 
			 Sports The Deanes Essex 
			 Sports Whitefield School Barnet, LB of 
			 Technology Archbishop Blanch School Liverpool 
			 Technology. Archbishop Temple School Lancashire 
			 Technology Budmouth Technology College Dorset 
			 Technology Bushey Meads Hertfordshire 
			 Technology Central School (The) Lincolnshire 
			 Technology Chaucer Technology School Kent 
			 Technology Cornwallis School Kent 
			 Technology Deacon's School Peterborough 
			 Technology Denbigh School Milton Keynes 
			 Technology George Spencer GM School Nottinghamshire 
			 Technology Glyn Technology School Surrey 
			 Technology Heathside School Surrey 
			 Technology Lodge Park School Northamptonshire 
			 Technology Lynn Grove VA High School Norfolk 
			 Technology Mill Hill County High School Barnet, LB of 
			 Technology Monks' Dyke Technology College Lincolnshire 
			 Technology Moseley Park School Wolverhampton 
			 Technology Ninestiles School Birmingham 
			 Technology Philip Morant School Essex 
			 Technology Princes Risborough School Buckinghamshire 
			 Technology Sandwich Technology School Kent 
			 Technology Small Heath School Birmingham 
			 Technology St. Margaret's C of E High School Liverpool 
			 Technology St. Martin's School Essex

Addictions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people with (a) a gambling addiction, (b) an alcohol addiction and (c) a drug addiction in each region in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The Department's current estimate is that 0.6 per cent. of the adult population are problem gamblers. This figure is drawn from the most recent authoritative research: Kerry Sproston, Bob Erens and Jim Orford (2000): "Gambling Behaviour in Britain: Results from the British Gambling Prevalence Study" (National Centre for Social Research, June 2000). This research was conducted using a sample of addresses selected at random. It is not possible therefore to give figures by region.
	During the coming year, and before the Gambling Act 2005 is implemented, the Gambling Commission will be conducting new research into the prevalence of problem gambling.
	The Department's 2004 alcohol needs assessment research project (ANARP) is the first alcohol needs assessment in England conducted on a national scale, and reports there are 1.1 million people in England who meet the criteria of alcohol dependence. The regional breakdown is shown in table 1.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Region Total 
			 North East 83,356 
			 North West 145,054 
			 Yorkshire and Number 163,889 
			 East Midlands 42,656 
			 West Midlands 126,658 
			 East of England 95,808 
			 London 217,429 
			 South East 183,611 
			 South West 95,257 
			 Total for England 1,132,074 
		
	
	The Department does not hold data for the numbers of those with a drug dependency in the format requested but we can provide the following data on the prevalence of drug dependence.
	Data on drug dependence is available from the survey Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults (aged 16 to 74) Living in Private Households (in Great Britain) carried out in 2000, by the Office of National Statistics.
	The latest data available from the drug survey is shown in table two. The same information is not held for those with a gambling addiction.
	Table two provides the prevalence of drug dependence of adults aged 16 to 74 by NHS regional office area, based on responses to five questions, about drug use in the year prior to interview.
	
		
			 NHS regional areas 
			  Northern and Yorkshire Trent West Midlands North West Eastern London 
			 Rates per thousand in past year   
			 Women   
			 Cannabis 18 4 1 14 24 46 
			 Amphetamines 1 2 — 4 5 — 
			 Cocaine 1 — — 4 — 1 
			 Crack 1 — — — — 2 
			 Ecstasy 5 1 — — 9 2 
			 Heroin/Methadone 1 4 — 3 — — 
			 Tranquillisers 2 2 — 4 3 4 
			 Volatile substances — — — — — — 
			 Cannabis only 17  1 14 16 43 
			 Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence 7 10 — 10 12 7 
			 Any drug dependence 24 10 1 25 27 50 
			 Base 528 414 405 559 435 490 
			
			 Men   
			 Dependence on...   
			 Cannabis 31 32 30 68 27 37 
			 Amphetamines 7 — 2 1 1 13 
			 Cocaine — 8 — 13 4 7 
			 Crack — 7 — — 4 2 
			 Ecstasy 3 10 10 12 4 5 
			 Heroin/Methadone 1 2 7 4 — 4 
			 Tranquillisers 1 — — 7 — 4 
			 Volatile substances — — — — — — 
			 Cannabis only 22 27 22 54 23 33 
			 Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence 13 12 18 20 19 19 
			 Any drug dependence 34 39 40 74 41 52 
			 Base 430 332 333 427 388 385 
			
			 All Adults   
			 Dependence on...   
			 Cannabis 25 18 16 41 26 41 
			 Amphetamines 4 1 1 3 3 7 
			 Cocaine 1 — 4 2 7 3 
			 Crack 1 — 3 — — 3 
			 Ecstasy 4 6 5 6 7 4 
			 Heroin/Methadone 1 3 3 3 — 2 
			 Tranquillisers 2 1 — 6 1 4 
			 Volatile substances — — — — — — 
			 Cannabis only 19 13 12 34 19 38 
			 Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence 10 11 9 15 15 13 
			 Any drug dependence 29 24 21 49 34 51 
			 Base 958 746 738 986 823 875 
		
	
	
		
			  South East South West England Wales Scotland All 
			 All Adults   
			 Dependence on...   
			 Cannabis 13 1 16 12 18 16 
			 Amphetamines 2 — 2 3 10 3 
			 Cocaine 1 — 1 — 3 1 
			 Crack — — 0 — 3 1 
			 Ecstasy — — 2 — 13 3 
			 Heroin/Methadone — 1 1 — — 1 
			 Tranquillisers 3 3 3 3 — 2 
			 Volatile substances — — — —   
			 Cannabis only 11 1 14 12 11 14 
			 Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence 5 4 7 3 16 7 
			 Any drug dependence 16 5 21 15 27 21 
			 Base 722 432 3,985 213 505 4,703 
			
			 Men   
			 Dependence on...   
			 Cannabis 58 51 43 30 83 46 
			 Amphetamines 8 — 5 — 12 5 
			 Cocaine 2 4 — — 4  
			 Crack — 2 — — 2  
			 Ecstasy 17 9 9 — 10 9 
			 Heroin/Methadone — — 2 — — 2 
			 Tranquillisers 1 — 2 — — 2 
			 Volatile substances — — — — 1 0  
			 Cannabis only 41 39 34 30 72 37 
			 Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence 23 11 17 — 22 17 
			
			 Any drug dependence 65 51 51 30 94 54 
			 Base 578 356 3229 194 415 3,838 
			 All Adults 36 25 30 21 50 31 
			 Dependence on... 5 — 3 1 11 4 
			 Cannabis 4 1 3 — 1 2 
			 Amphetamines 1 — 1 — 1 1 
			 Cocaine 9 5 6 — 11 6 
			 Crack — 1 2 — — 1 
			 Ecstasy 2 1 2 1 — 2 
			 Heroin/Methadone — — — — 1 0 
			 Tranquillisers 26 20 24 21 41 25 
			 Volatile substances 14 7 12 1 19 12 
			 Cannabis only 41 27 36 23 60 37 
			 Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence 1,300 788 7,214 407 920 8,541

Autism

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was spent by the NHS on autism spectrum-related disorders in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what definition of autism is used by her Department;
	(3)  what her Department's latest estimate is of the incidence of autism among (a) males and (b) females;
	(4)  how many children have been diagnosed with autism in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information on spend by the national health service on autism spectrum related disorders is not held centrally.
	For the purposes of statistical collections, the Department defines autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) as including childhood autism, atypical autism, Asperger's syndrome, Rett's syndrome, and other less common ASDs.
	Diagnoses of ASDs within hospitals are available from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), as shown in the tables.
	
		
			 Number of finished consultant episodes involving a diagnosis of ASDs, by gender at end of episode, England, 2004-05 
			 Gender 2004-05 
			 Male 6,170 
			 Female 2,460 
			 Unknown 0 
			 All diagnoses 9,170 
			 Source:Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care. 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of finished consultant episodes involving a diagnosis of ASDs, by age at end of episode, England, 1997-98 to 2004-05 
			  16 and Under 
			 2004-05 6,170 
			 2003-04 5,770 
			 2002-03 5,630 
			 2001-02 5,180 
			 2000-01 4,980 
			 1999-2000 4,200 
			 1998-99 4,030 
			 1997-98 3,100 
			 Source:Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Dentistry

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent NHS general dental practitioners there were in the East Hull and West Hull primary care trust area in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many NHS dentists were employed by (a) East Hull and (b) West Hull primary care trust in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information on a full-time equivalent basis is not available. Dentists are able to vary the amount of hours they work and to vary their national health service commitment. Many dentists do some private work.
	Numbers of dentists with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract for the relevant primary care trust (PCT) areas are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): numbers of dentists within the specified PCTs as at 31 March each year 
			  Eastern Hull PCT West Hull PCT 
			 1997 18 62 
			 1998 18 59 
			 1999 17 65 
			 2000 27 68 
			 2001 27 72 
			 2002 21 73 
			 2003 23 65 
			 2004 22 66 
			 2005 21 70 
			 2006 17 67 
			 Notes:  1. 2006 data includes all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the Business Services Authority, up to 3 April 2006. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, for example, data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS.  2. Dentists consist of principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded from the data.  3. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory.  4. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the PCT. Information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual dentists are not centrally available.  5. Data on dentists that work only in private practice are not held centrally.  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care Business Services Authority

Electrical Fields (Childhood Illness)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of links between overhead power lines and incidences of childhood leukaemia.

Caroline Flint: The Department's radiation protection research programme supports a number of studies investigating the possible health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF). A study by Dr. Draper and colleagues on childhood leukaemia and distance from power lines, funded under this programme and published in the British Medical Journal last year, has added to a large existing body of work in this area (BMJ, volume 330, 4 June 2005).
	The Health Protection Agency's radiation protection division (HPA-RPD) keeps the world-wide research findings on EMF continually under review. In 2004, on the basis of a comprehensive review of the existing body of research to date, the HPA-RPD, previously the National Radiological Protection Board, recommended the adoption of new EMF exposure guidelines in this country. In addition, in view of the scientific uncertainties, the HPA recommended the Government ''consider the need for further precautionary measures" in relation to power frequency electromagnetic fields. They have also noted that the majority of elevated magnetic fields are due to variations in the electricity supply and distribution system, the presence of substations and equipment in the home rather than proximity to power lines.
	Practical precautionary measures are currently being considered in detail by a stakeholder advisory group (SAGE) that includes the Government Departments, agencies, electricity industry, specialists and public concern groups. Details of the process can be found on the website at: www.rkpartnership.co.uk/sage.

General Practitioner Premises

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of general practitioners' premises were above minimum standards on the last date for which figures are available in (a) England and (b) each primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts and predecessor organisations have responsibility for managing delivery of services provided by general practitioners (GPs); including the adequacy of their practice premises from which to provide services.
	Since 1997, there has been a 60 per cent. increase in investment in GP premises. Part of this was through the NHS Plan targets to refurbish or replace 3,000 GP premises and create 500 primary care centres housing services appropriate to meet the local need by December 2004. These targets were achieved through the replacement or refurbishment of 2,848 GP premises and 510 primary care centres. We expect to see an additional 125 of these primary care centres built by the end of this year and 2008 the total will stand at 750.
	In addition, there are many examples of new premises provided under the NHS Local Finance Investment Trust initiative (NHS LIFT) that fully satisfy minimum standards. The LIFT programme has contributed to this progress and has proven to be a tremendous success. Already some £812 million in private sector and £210 million in public sector funding has been injected into GP premises and community facilities across the country. There are 42 NHS LIFT schemes established with another eight in procurement.
	This has, to date, delivered 68 new buildings open to patients with, on average, a building a week opening during 2006. In addition, we are injecting a further £1 billion national health service capital this year specifically for new buildings and equipment. This money will further improve convenient access to health and social care.
	A subjective assessment by PCTs of the proportion of premises meeting the minimum standards as at 31 March 2005 has been placed in the Library. This 2005 snapshot by PCTs shows that collectively they have judged some GP premises across the country as being below minimum standards. This needs to be set in context. Judgments for some of those standards are subjective which by their very nature may lead to some PCTs reporting higher levels of premises that do not meet minimum standards than other PCTs with similar premises. Being below minimum standards does not mean the buildings are in a dangerous state of repair. Rather, that the premises may not have for example, adequate access to and within premises and WC facilities for disabled patients and staff. Failure to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act requirements is a common reason for PCTs judging buildings as not meeting minimum requirements.
	This is not because of a lack of intent by GPs' practices and their PCTs to provide these facilities but because for example, the building is too small to incorporate them; with a general lack of suitable, alternative locations to develop. These are historic problems for inner city PCTs that predate this Government and arose from difficulty of investing in smaller buildings.

Healthy Living

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has (a) taken and (b) plans to take to improve (i) parents' and (ii) children's understanding of the benefits of healthy living; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department is working closely with Department for Education and Skills to ensure an explicit focus on supporting healthy living through children's centres, healthy schools and extended schools—engaging parents, as well as children, is central to each of these programmes. The child health promotion programme and planned life checks will also have a pivotal role to play in communicating health messages.

Healthy Living

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing her Department's White Paper "Choosing health: making healthy choices easier".

Caroline Flint: A delivery plan was published in 2005 following publication of "Choosing Health". This sets down plans for delivery against all "Choosing Health" commitments. A progress report will be published shortly to ensure we remain on track to deliver against our 2010 commitments.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what support her Department gives to those most severely affected by myalgic encephalomyelitis;
	(2)  what criteria were used to determine which primary care trusts received funding to set up specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis services; and under what terms the funding was granted;
	(3)  what commitment primary care trusts (PCT) have made to continuing to provide funding for specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis services; and what steps her Department plans to take if PCTs do not fulfil that commitment.

Ivan Lewis: Those most severely affected by chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) have access to the full range of health and social services support as outlined in the national service framework for long-term conditions (the NSF). This includes:
	Joint health and social care plans that change over time and take other needs into account such as housing, transport, benefits, education, careers advice, employment and leisure;
	Access to a broad range of services including rehabilitation, equipment, accommodation, personal care to help people live as independently as possible at home; and
	Support to help people to work or take up other vocational opportunities.
	Applications for funding from the £8.5 million budget to establish new CFS/ME services were assessed by an investment steering group consisting of health professionals, as well as patient and carer representatives. The criteria used by the steering group included strategy and partnership working, the proposed service organisation and staffing structure, as well as the need to ensure an even geographic distribution of centres.
	National health service organisations are expected to demonstrate that they are making progress towards achieving the level of service quality described in the NSF. The NSF sets out a clear vision of how health and social care organisations can improve the quality, consistency and responsiveness of their services and help improve the lives of people with neurological conditions, including CFS/ME. The Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection may undertake performance reviews to assess progress on local implementation of the NSF.

MMR Vaccination

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of the rate of MMR vaccination.

Caroline Flint: The latest annual estimate of mumps, measles and rubella uptake was published in table two of the statistical bulletin NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2004-05 of which a copy is available in the Library. The figure for 2004-05 was 80.9 per cent. Quarterly data is published by the Health Protection Agency in CDR Weekly and is available at: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/vaccination/vac_cover.htm.

NHS Budgets

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures she is taking to encourage NHS trusts to balance their budgets; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what initiatives are in place to reward those NHS trusts that operate to balanced budgets; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: All national health service trusts are expected to achieve financial balance, or better, each and every year. However, we recognise this has been a challenging year for NHS organisations, and the NHS as a whole was forecasting a deficit of around £620 million for 2005-06, at month six.
	In 2006-07, the priority will be to restore overall financial balance in the NHS. In order to restore financial balance, the following measures are in place:
	Strategic health authority (SHB) reserves—From 2006-07, SHAs have the responsibility to develop and implement a service and financial strategy for managing the financial position within their locality. They will develop this with primary care trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts in their area. Strategies agreed locally may include the creation of local reserves to deal with local problems. The size of the reserves and any contribution from each PCT will vary according to local circumstances, but the underlying principle will be fairness.
	Turnaround teams—In December 2005, the Secretary of State announced the creation of turnaround teams. These teams visited the NHS bodies identified as facing particular financial difficulties. The teams consisted of external consultants, they reviewed the bodies' financial positions and produced preliminary reports on what action could be taken to assist recovery. The bodies deemed to be at particular risk were required to engage appropriate turnaround support on the ground to help improve efficiency and cut costs. All the bodies are expected to produce plans to allow them to return to financial balance.

Parkinson's Disease

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease there were in (a) England and (b) Beverley and Holderness in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what percentage of people in England with Parkinson's disease are required to pay for prescriptions; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many Parkinson's disease specialist nurses there were in (a) England and (b) Beverley and Holderness in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what percentage of people in (a) England and (b) Beverley and Holderness diagnosed with Parkinson's disease have access to a specialist nurse; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  what percentage of people in England who have Parkinson's disease were referred to a specialist nurse within six months of diagnosis; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Data on the number of those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is not collected. However, estimates produced by the Parkinson's Disease Society suggest that around 10,000 people are diagnosed with this disease each year in the United Kingdom (UK).
	The number of people with Parkinson's disease required to pay prescription charges is not identifiable.
	The number of Parkinson's disease nurse specialists (PDNSs), and the percentage of Parkinson's disease patients with access to such nurse specialists, is not collected centrally.
	The Parkinson's Disease Society reports there are currently over 200 PDNSs in the UK.

Pharmacies

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish detailed proposals on how pharmacies may operate with remote supervision by a pharmacist.

Andy Burnham: Clause 25 of the Health Bill, which is currently before Parliament, makes provision for regulations prescribing the conditions that must be complied with if the preparation, assembly, sale and supply of medicines is to be considered as done under the supervision of a pharmacist, including where the pharmacist is not on the pharmacy premises, that is remote supervision.
	Subject to passage of the Bill, we intend to consult on the development of these regulations, with all interested parties, in due course. In the meantime, in January 2006, we published an information paper outlining the Government's thinking on this matter and reinforcing our intention to set conditions that will continue to ensure patient safety. This paper is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.

Post-operative Infections

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many post-operative infections were contracted by patients in each NHS hospital trust in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: Data on all post-operative infections is not available. However, information by trust, for the first year of mandatory orthopaedic surgical site infection surveillance, is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/22/59/04122259.pdf
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/03/22/04130322.pdf

Strategic Health Authority for London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the names are of the (a) chair, (b) chief executive and (c) members of the new strategic health authority for London.

Andy Burnham: I am pleased to confirm that the new strategic health authority (SHA) chair is Dr. George Greener OBE and the chief executive is David Nicholson CBE.
	These appointments will commence when the new SHAs come into effect from 1 July.
	The additional non-executive appointments have yet to be made. I will arrange for these details be sent to you once they are confirmed.

Correspondence

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the email sent on 30 March 2006 by Sarah Bowron, a constituent of the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes.

Stephen Timms: A reply was emailed to Ms Bowron on 20 April, and a copy was sent to her alternative email address on 10 May.

Earnings

Eric Martlew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average earnings were of full-time employees in (a) Carlisle, (b) Eden, (c) Allerdale, (d) Copeland, (e) Barrow and (f) South Lakes district council areas based on the annual survey of hours and earnings in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked her to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask what the average earnings of full-time employees in (a) Carlisle, (b) Eden, (c) Allerdale, (d) Copeland, (e) Barrow-In-Furness and (f) South Lakeland was in each year since 1997. (70154)
	Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for full time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	I attach tables showing Average Gross Weekly Earnings by place of work for the years 1997 to 2005 for Full Time Employees on Adult Rates. These statistics are already published on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13101.
	The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a 1 per cent. sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		
			 Gross weekly(£) pay for full-time employee jobs(1) by place of work 
			  Median Mean 
			 Carlisle   
			 1997 *283 324 
			 1998 *283 326 
			 1999 284 345 
			 2000 *308 348 
			 2001 321 363 
			 2002 *335 374 
			 2003 *337 *410 
			 2004 *362 402 
			 2004(2) *353 399 
			 2005 *396 435 
			
			 Eden   
			 1997 **256 *306 
			 1998 **249 *279 
			 1999 *238 *301 
			 2000 *258 *322 
			 2001 *275 *331 
			 2002 **327 *368 
			 2003 **323 *383 
			 2004 **340 *380 
			 2004(2) **345 *374 
			 2005 *407 *470 
			
			 Allerdale   
			 1997 **287 331 
			 1998 *293 322 
			 1999 *310 341 
			 2000 *308 344 
			 2001 *349 372 
			 2002 *340 *377 
			 2003 *346 *398 
			 2004 *327 *372 
			 2004(2) *326 *369 
			 2005 **346 406 
			
			 Copeland   
			 1997 *391 419 
			 1998 *414 429 
			 1999 *421 458 
			 2000 *497 496 
			 2001 *479 482 
			 2002 503 511 
			 2003 *495 517 
			 2004 *524 541 
			 2004(2) *526 544 
			 2005 *529 537 
			
			 Barrow-In-Furness   
			 1997 **304 *317 
			 1998 *327 348 
			 1999 **356 386 
			 2000 **318 *369 
			 2001 *398 393 
			 2002 **346 *409 
			 2003 *352 *421 
			 2004 **405 *451 
			 2004(2) **390 *451 
			 2005 *402 *441 
			
			 South Lakeland   
			 1997 *312 * 357 
			 1998 *295 * 351 
			 1999 *307 356 
			 2000 *322 367 
			 2001 *316 372 
			 2002 *346 *392 
			 2003 *355 408 
			 2004 *370 *410 
			 2004(2) *366 *404 
			 2005 *369 *435 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence(2) Includes Supplementary survey dataGuide to quality:The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent., we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.Key:CV <= 5 per cent.* CV >5 per cent. and < = 10 per cent.** CV > 10 per cent. and < = 20 per cent.The median replaces the mean as the headline statistic. The weighted mean is the sum of the weighted values divided by the sum of the weights. The median is the value below which 50 per cent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data.Source:Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Iraq

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government have committed to military operations and peace-keeping in Iraq since 1 January 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 26 January 2006, Official Report, columns 2260-61W, which provides the net additional costs of current operations in Iraq from financial years 2002-03 to 2004-05.
	An estimated cost for operations Iraq for 2005-06 of 1,098 million was included in the Ministry of Defence's Spring Supplementary Estimate published in February of this year. Final figures will be published in the MOD's Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06 following audit by the National Audit Office.
	Prior to commencing current operations in Iraq in March 2003, MOD also incurred expenditure enforcing United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Iraq. The costs recorded in the MOD's Annual Accounts for these activities were as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year  million 
			 1999-2000 28 
			 2000-01 25 
			 2001-02 61

Royal Ordnance Bishopton

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what type of hazardous materials and chemicals were held within the grounds of Royal Ordnance Bishopton prior to its sale in 1987; how they were disposed of; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what decontamination operations were conducted by (a) his Department prior to 1987 and (b) BAE Systems after 1987 within the grounds of Royal Ordnance Bishopton; what the cost of each operation was; what materials were (i) recovered and (ii) processed; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment his Department made prior to the 1987 sale of Royal Ordnance Bishopton of (a) the presence of hazardous materials and chemicals on the site and (b) the likely cost of decontamination; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: Any information held has been archived and given the time that has elapsed since the disposal, it will take some time to ascertain what records have survived. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the material is to hand and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Brazil

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact of Brazil's decision to enrich uranium on other countries' attempts to acquire such technology; and whether the Government was informed of this development.

Kim Howells: Brazilian development of its uranium enrichment facility at Resende has at all times been carried out in compliance with its safeguards obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and has been known to the international community. The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that it has adequate monitoring measures in place. There is no reason why Brazilian inauguration of the facility should influence any other country's policy in this area.
	The Brazilian Government has publicly abandoned the nuclear weapons programme pursued by previous military governments and the development of nuclear weapons is prohibited under the country's constitution. There have been no indications that Brazil has attempted to break its obligations under the NPT. Any State party to the NPT has a right to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Article II of the Treaty.

Iran

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent the persecution of religious minorities in Iran, with particular reference to those of the Bah'i faith.

Kim Howells: We continue to have serious concerns about the situation of religious minorities in Iran. We have received numerous reports of discrimination against those wishing to practise minority faiths, including the Bah'i community.
	Ministers and officials have pressed the Iranian authorities on many occasions to address the intimidation and discrimination suffered by the Iranian Bah'is. At our suggestion, the EU Presidency did so on 31 January and again on 11 April. On 10 April, EU Foreign Ministers underlined their continued concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, in particular regarding the situation of Bah'is.
	We have also taken action at the UN. We were pleased that all EU countries co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution on human rights in Iran in December last year. This expressed serious concern at, inter alia, the escalation and increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against the Bah'i, including cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, the denial of freedom of religion or of publicly carrying out communal affairs, the disregard of property rights, the destruction of sites of religious importance, the suspension of social, educational and community-related activities and the denial of access to higher education, employment, pensions, adequate housing and other benefits. We expect Iran to uphold freedom of religion and belief in accordance with its international obligations under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Kidnapping

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it remains Government policy (a) not to pay ransoms for kidnapped UK citizens and (b) not to co-operate with organisations paying such ransoms.

Kim Howells: It remains Government policy not to pay ransoms for UK nationals kidnapped overseas. The Government discourages the payment of ransoms by others and would not facilitate any such payments.

Muslim Brotherhood

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood and its official organisations since September 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: British officials have had contact with members of the Egyptian parliament, including occasional contact with members of the Muslim Brotherhood since September 2001. Officials have also met representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, Kuwait, and Lebanon. In addition, officials have had limited contact with members of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, whose leadership is in exile in London.

Organ Harvesting (China)

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what documents (a) she and (b) her officials have received on organ harvesting in China; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Government have received media reports of large-scale organ harvesting in China, including among Falun Gong adherents. We have found no evidence to substantiate these reports. The Chinese Government have denied such allegations. We have also received correspondence from hon. Members, non-governmental organisations and members of the public expressing their concerns about organ harvesting. The Government are concerned about the practice of prisoners subject to the death penalty in China donating their organs and my hon. Friend the then Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign affairs (Ian Pearson) raised these concerns with the Chinese Government on 7 April. We believe the right approach is to seek to overcome the social taboo of organ transplants in China and encourage donation from the general population. The Government welcomes the announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Health of a new regulation to come into effect on 1 July, to ban the sale of organs and introduce medical standards for organ transplants.

Organ Harvesting (China)

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Chinese authorities about the allegations of (a) organ harvesting and (b) the use of organs from executed prisoners in China.

Ian McCartney: My hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson) raised the Government's concerns about the use of organs from executed prisoners with the Chinese Government on 7 April. The Chinese Government have acknowledged the practice of organ harvesting from executed prisoners. Despite Chinese Government assurances that prisoners agree to the donations voluntarily and that, in some cases, their families are paid, we are concerned about the use of these prisoners' organs. The Government welcomes the announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Health of a new regulation to come into effect on 1 July, to ban the sale of organs and introduce medical standards for organ transplants. We have received no evidence to substantiate recent media reports of large scale organ harvesting in China. The Chinese Government have denied such allegations.

People Trafficking

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she has made to the UN report Trafficking in persons: global patterns; and what steps are being taken by her Department to tackle people trafficking.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is not required to respond to this report. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funds the delivery, including by non-governmental organisations, of project work designed to enhance the ability of source and transit countries to identify and dissuade potential victims of trafficking to assist in their return. Projects address issues such as increasing awareness levels among victims and practitioners, methods of victim identification, reintegration assistance for returnees and training for judicial, law enforcement and immigration staff. The FCO, as part of the draft UK Action Plan on Trafficking, is also devising a strategy to publicise overseas the successful prosecution in British courts of human traffickers.

Sudan

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government has (a) spent and (b) committed to spend on conflict resolution and peace-keeping efforts in Darfur, Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The UK has committed 20 million this financial year to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). This brings our total contribution to AMIS, since its inception, to 52 million. 27 million has been spent providing 900 vehicles, airlift of African Union (AU) troops, rapid deployment kits and ground fuel. We have also provided experts including military logisticians, Military Observers and Civilian Police Trainers. On 10 March, the AU's Peace and Security Council agreed to support in principle a handover of their mission in Darfur to the UN, and we have provided a military and police planner to the UN planning team. This year's budget of 20 million will be used to fund the AU's ground fuel contract and experts, as well as a continued contribution of military and police experts, additional airlift of troops and we may also provide budgetary support to the AU's Peace Fund to enable the AU to pay for vital services.
	The UK has also committed 1.25 million to the AU Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks on Darfur, of which over 700,000 has been spent so far. This has been used to fund technical experts for the security arrangements, negotiations and financial assistance to support the running of talks in Abuja, Nigeria. We welcome the signature of the Darfur Peace Agreement by the Government of Sudan and the largest faction of the Sudanese Liberation Movement rebel group, Minni Minnawi, following efforts by the UK and others to agree a deal between the parties.

Uganda

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of the statements by the Ugandan authorities that the President of the Forum for Democratic Change is associated with the Lords Resistance Army; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have seen no evidence from the Ugandan authorities that the Forum for Democratic Change President, Dr. Kizza Besigye, is associated with the Lord's Resistance Army. This issue is currently the subject of legal proceedings in Uganda where Dr. Besigye has been charged with treason. Dr. Besigye has strenuously denied any links to the rebel group.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance is issued to magistrates on the publication of the name and photographs in local media of juveniles upon whom antisocial behaviour orders have been served.

Harriet Harman: The Judicial Studies Board has published a guidance document relating to publicity in magistrates court proceedings entitled 'Reporting Restrictions: Magistrates Courts'. The document sets out the legislative, case law and procedural considerations to which magistrates should have regard when considering publicity issues in the context of antisocial behaviour order hearings. This guidance sets up the approach the courts should take in respect of the naming and publication of photographs of juveniles.
	All magistrates are issued with a copy of the Adult Court Bench Book, which contains the Checklist Reporting Restrictions?A Structured Approach. In addition, all youth court magistrates are issued with a copy of the Youth Court Bench Book which contains a similar checklist with information relating to youths, and a specific checklist on dealing with antisocial behaviour orders.
	All magistrates sit in court with a qualified legal adviser who is able to provide them with advice on relevant legislation, guidance and case law.

Departmental Initiatives

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the departmental initiatives for each year since 2000 which required bids for funding from (a) voluntary organisations and (b) local authorities together with the total resource allocated to each initiative in each year; how many successful bids there were in each year; what proportion this figure represents of the total bids received; and what assessment she has made of the costs of (i) preparing bids for each initiative and (ii) assessing those bids.

David Lammy: Most DCMS funding available to local authorities or voluntary sector bodies is distributed by the Department's public bodies. For example, 500,000 has been made available for each of the years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 for Ofcom to allocate to support community radio stations. Those running community radio stations, including any voluntary organisations, can make applications to Ofcom for grants. Awards are made by Ofcom and we do not hold centrally information on individual grants.
	Full information on these initiatives has not been gathered from all DCMS public bodies as the cost of doing so would fall beyond the threshold of disproportionate cost.
	DCMS has no central initiatives which require bids for funding from voluntary organisations, though some voluntary organisations receive funding through contracts following competitive tender.
	DCMS has two central initiatives which require bids for funding from local authorities. These are explained below.
	DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund
	The DCMS/Wolfson Fund provides support for capital projects aimed at improving the infrastructure of museums and galleries in England The fund in its present form started in 2002 and bidding rounds have taken place annually since then. The fund currently has a total budget of 4 million a year, with DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation contributing 2 million each.
	From 2004-05, the list of institutions eligible to bid for funding has included Museums with designated collections and Museums with non-designated collections in Regional Hubs. The majority of bodies in these categories are either funded or operated by local authorities. Of the 95 institutions eligible to bid, 41 are museums with designated collections and 18 are museums in Regional Hubs.
	The following table shows the total bids and sums awarded as a result of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 bidding rounds. The 2006-07 round has recently ended and the results are expected to be announced in July.
	No assessment of the cost of preparing bids or of assessing them has been undertaken.
	Further information, including a list of all eligible institutions, can be found on the DCMS website at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/museums_and_galleries/wolfson_improvement_fund.htm
	
		
			  2004-05 2005-06 
			 A. Summary of total bids(1)   
			 Total number of bids received(1) 55 48 
			 Number successful(1) 31 34 
			 Percentage 56 71 
			 Total awarded(2 )() 3,807,00 4,000,000 
			
			 B. Summary of bids from museums and galleries with designated collections   
			 Total number of bids received(1) 55 48 
			 Number received from designated collections 23 16 
			 Number successful from designated collections 17 13 
			 Bids from designated collections which were successful as a percentage of total bids 31 27 
			 Total awarded to designated collections(2 )() 1,782,200 1,231,081 
			
			 C. Summary of bids from non-designated collections in Regional Hubs   
			 Total number of bids received(1) 55 48 
			 Number received from non-designated collections in Regional Hubs 8 11 
			 Number successful from non-designated collections in Regional Hubs 3 10 
			 Bids from non-designated collections in Regional Hubs which were successful as a percentage of total bids 5 21 
			 Total awarded to non-designated collections in Regional Hubs(2) 196,200 1,053,625 
			 (1) Includes bids from all 95 eligible institutions in the following four categories: DCMS sponsored institutions; designated university-based collections; designated collections and non-designated collections in Regional Hubs.  (2 )Matched funding provided jointly by DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation. 
		
	
	PFI Credits
	The DCMS PFI programme allows local authorities to bid for PFI credits to support the cost of their projects, as long as the project satisfies the relevant criteria.
	Table 1 lists the number of projects that put in a successful bid for DCMS PFI credits in that calendar year (we are unable to represent these figures in terms of the total number of bids received in each year).
	
		
			 Table 1: Successful bids 
			  Number 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 7 
			 2003 5 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 7 
			 Total 21 
		
	
	Table 2 lists the total amount allocated to local authority PFI projects (in the form of PFI credits) during the relevant financial year.
	
		
			 Table 2: PFI credits 
			  million 
			  Amount 
			 2000-01 6.0 
			 2001-02 6.2 
			 2002-03 6.4 
			 2003-04 0.0 
			 2004-05 62.7 
			 2005-06 47.4 
			 Total 128.7 
		
	
	The evaluation of PFI bids is handled by DCMS, Sport England, MLA and the 4ps; but given the number of organisations involved in assessing bids for DCMS PFI credits, a costing of the assessment process is not available.

Licensed Premises

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) on-licensed and (b) off-licensed premises have lost their licences in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: Data for the number of justices' licences revoked in England and Wales were collected every three years and are available for a 12-month period to the 30 June 2004 as detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Year to 30 June Total on-licensed premises revoked Total off-licensed premises revoked Total revocations 
			 2001 132 51 183 
			 2004 273 81 354 
			 Source:  DCMS Statistical Bulletin: Liquor Licensing: England and Wales, July 2003 to June 2004, Table 5.

London 2012 Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) her Department, (b) UK Sport, (c) the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, (d) the British Olympic Association on behalf of the Olympic Sport national governing bodies, (e) the Youth Sport Trust and (f) the National Sports Foundation are seeking to raise in sponsorship from the private sector before the London 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is set out as follows:
	(a) My Department does not, at this time, have any plans to directly engage in the raising of sponsorship moneys from the private sector prior to the London 2012 Olympics;
	(b) UK Sport will seek to raise 100 million in the run up to 2012 to benefit and support our high performance athletes;
	(c) The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Game's (LOCOG) current budget is approximately 2 billion. This money will be generated through ticket sales and merchandising as well as the sale of broadcast and sponsorship rights. LOCOG will be seeking to maximise the amount of money that they can raise from their sponsors to help fund the Games and achieve the overall target of 2 billion.
	(d) This information is not held by my Department;
	(e) The Youth Sport Trust is a charitable organisation and responsible for its own fundraising programme. However I can confirm that they have already secured sponsorship from Visa for the organisation of the 2006 UK School Games.
	(f) The National Sports Foundation has been tasked with generating a total of 30 million additional investment into grass-roots and community sport over the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08, and this will include moneys raised from private sponsors. Any activity beyond 2008 will be contingent on the outcomes of the next Comprehensive Spending Review.

Schools Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what involvement (a) UK Sport, (b) the British Olympic Association and (c) the individual sport national governing bodies will have in the staging of the Schools Olympics announced in the Budget.

Richard Caborn: The Youth Sport Trust have held initial discussions with the British Olympic Foundation, the charitable arm of the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association to integrate and embed the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games' ideals and values into the UK School Games (UKSG).
	Arrangements for the UKSG for 2007-11 are being finalised. However, the National Governing Bodies (Swimming, Fencing, Athletics, Table Tennis and Gymnastics) that are participating in the UKSG 2006 are responsible for the competition format, team selection and technical requirements of their sport in this event, as well as assuming responsibility for the developmental work around the National Competition Framework and engaging the National School Sport Associations in that process.
	UK Sport has no formal contracted involvement with the UK School Games however they are supporting the event in two ways:
	Ensuring that the performance and competition structures build on and link in with the World Class Performance Pathway; and
	Advising on the drug testing procedures for the Games
	UK Sport will also be using the event to promote Drug Free Sport through their 100 per cent. ME Outreach programme.

Schools Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many school sport organisations were consulted before the announcement of a Schools Olympics in the 2006 budget; and what representations she received in response to the consultation.

Richard Caborn: Prior to the announcement of the UK School Games (UKSG) 2006, as Minister for Sport, I co-ordinated a meeting with key partners. This included the National Council for School Sport (NCSS), (the representative body of the National School Sport Associations in England) and the NGB's from Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, Table Tennis and Fencing. The schools associations in England and the Home Countries were informed of these proposals, an update of the meeting was sent to the Scottish Schools Federation.
	The Youth Sport Trust, the organisation responsible for the UKSG 2006 has confirmed support from the School Sport Associations and NGB's.
	Details of the UK School Games (UKSG) for 2007-11 have not been finalised.

Schools Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which body is responsible for the organisation of the Schools Olympics announced in the Budget; and what role the private sector will play in the project.

Richard Caborn: The lead responsibility for the UK School Games (UKSG) 2006, rests with the Youth Sport Trust. Sponsorship has been secured from Visa.
	Arrangements for the UKSG for 2007-2011 have not been finalised. However the Millennium Commission has recently invited applications from organisations willing to organise the UKSG in 2007-11 and which it is intended will receive funding from the Trust which the Commission, the Big Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and the Government plans to establish to support a diverse range of cultural and sporting initiatives associated with the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. It is our expectation that, as with the Glasgow event, these Games would also attract private sponsorship.

Housing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the delivery by her Department of the necessary additional infrastructure for housing expansion in North Northamptonshire.

Yvette Cooper: Infrastructure investment must support housing growth, using a mix of funding from mainstream programmes, investment by the private sector and top-up funding from the growth areas programme.
	The Government are encouraging local delivery partners to focus on identifying, prioritising and sourcing investment in their locationsbased on their individual circumstances and priorities, and using a mix of public and private funding.
	Northamptonshire county council has commissioned EDAW consultants to undertake a study of the infrastructure requirements in North Northamptonshire. This work was supported by funds from my Department.
	Delivery of the necessary infrastructure to support additional housing in the growth areas will be undertaken by a wide range of public and private organisations. Substantial funding has already been provided by my Department for those infrastructure schemes already identified to support growth, through GAF, and jointly with DfT through CIF.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much on average has been paid (a) per person and (b) to each terminally ill person from the Financial Assistance Scheme;
	(2)  how many (a) people and (b) people who are terminally ill are eligible for payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme;
	(3)  how many (a) people and (b) people who are terminally ill have received payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme in each month since the scheme started.

James Purnell: To date, 43 people have been assessed as eligible for payments. Four of these are not yet being paid as they have not reached age 65. None of those eligible are terminally ill.
	The gross average payment is 2,291.64 a year, or 190.97 a month. The following table details the number of payments made in each month since the first payments in December 2005.
	
		
			 Payments made each month 
			  Number 
			 December 13 
			 January 15 
			 February 27 
			 March 32 
			 April 39

Financial Assistance Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many surviving spouses of scheme members have received payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme;
	(2)  how much is the average amount of payment made from the Financial Assistance Scheme to surviving spouses of pension scheme members;
	(3)  how much is the (a) largest and (b) smallest payment made from the Financial Assistance Scheme to surviving spouses of pension scheme members.

James Purnell: Under the Data Protection Act it is unlawful to reveal data which relates to a living individual who could be identified from that data. As there is only one surviving spouse currently receiving assistance, I cannot provide the information requested.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls were received by the financial assistance scheme operational unit in each quarter for which figures are available; and how many calls (a) were answered, (b) met an engaged tone and (c) were abandoned in each quarter.

James Purnell: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  September-November 2005 December 2005-February 2006 March-April 2006 
			 Calls received 552 903 467 
			 Calls answered 544 898 463 
			 Calls engaged 0 0 0 
			 Calls abandoned(1) 8 5 4 
			 (1 )15 of the 17 abandoned calls were abandoned within two seconds, giving staff no chance of answering the call.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people aged 60, 61 and 62 years are not eligible for assistance from the financial assistance scheme because their scheme had a retirement age of 65;
	(2)  how many people with a retirement age of 65 years who are over 60 years will not fall within the financial assistance scheme's three year window;
	(3)  how many people fall outside (a) the financial assistance scheme's three year window and (b) the three year window but are within 10 years of retirement.

James Purnell: We estimate that around 70,000 of the 85,000 who may otherwise be eligible for assistance under the financial assistance scheme may fall outside the three year window and that around 55,000 may fall outside the three year window but are within 10 years of retirement.
	We will not be able to provide more specific figures on the number of members with a particular retirement age and of a particular age, until detailed data has been collected from eligible schemes as they complete winding up.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension schemes will be eligible only for interim financial assistance scheme payments due to the wind up being delayed by trustees seeking to recover additional funds through legal action.

James Purnell: We cannot pay full financial assistance scheme payments until the final scale of individual losses can be established at the end of wind up. 'Initial payments' allow us to pay some money at a lower rate to those qualifying members who become entitled to assistance before their scheme completes wind up. While the wind-up process may take some time to complete and this may be affected by ongoing court action, all FAS qualifying schemes will ultimately complete wind-up and all eligible qualifying members will then receive full FAS payments.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce a category of attendance allowance which exempts an individual from vehicle excise duty; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: I have been asked reply.
	Attendance allowance is available for those who become disabled after the age of 65 and, unlike, disability living allowance, does not have a mobility component. While some of those in receipt of attendance allowance may have mobility difficulties, receipt of attendance allowance does not of itself necessarily represent mobility needs; rather, it contributes towards the personal care needs of those with disabilities who are over the age of 65.
	The Government believe that the benefit arrangements in place for disabled people are both fair and sensible and, in particular, that it is right to give the most help with the extra costs of disability to those who are severely disabled earlier in life. The Government have no plans to change the rules governing either AA or DLA.

Honours (Investigation)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister how many members of his private office have been interviewed by the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crimes Directorate in connection with investigations relating to the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my Official Spokesman on Wednesday 3 May, a copy of which is available on the No. 10 website.

Middle East (Special Envoy)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister what the duties and responsibilities are of his Special Envoy to the Middle East; whether this post incurs a cost to the public purse; how he measures the efficacy of this person's work; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2581-82W.
	Lord Levy receives no remuneration and travels at his own expense. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and diplomatic missions overseas provide him with practical support.

Buses

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much bus subsidy has been provided in the (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Merseyside, (c) Tyne and Wear, (d) West Yorkshire and (e) South Yorkshire passenger transport authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table shows the totals for the last nine years of expenditure by the relevant passenger transport authority on support for local bus services and re-imbursement of concessionary travel fares on buses in each area. There is no comparable figure for 1995-96.
	
		
			  million 
			  (a) Greater Manchester (b) Merseyside (c) Tyne and Wear (d) West Yorkshire (e) South Yorkshire 
			 1996-97 57.4 53.1 29.5 40.1 27.1 
			 1997-98 56.6 57.1 28.0 38.7 25.2 
			 1998-99 58.7 59.7 27.9 40.5 17.4 
			 1999-2000 60.3 43.5 30.3 39.2 16.9 
			 2000-01 63.5 45.0 30.1 42.9 17.6 
			 2001-02 59.2 46.8 30.0 44.9 18.8 
			 2002-03 61.8 49.2 32.1 42.4 18.6 
			 2003-04 77.5 52.4 27.4 45.0 20.3 
			 2004-05 71.4 57.3 27.2 40.9 22.4 
			 Source:  Local authority returns to ODPM, revenue out-turn (RO2). 
		
	
	In addition, operators of local bus services receive Bus Service Operators Grant from this Department. This is paid direct to operators and is not attributed to a specific area.

Buses

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people travelled on buses in (a) Greater London and (b) Greater Manchester in each year since 1985; and what percentage of the total population this represented in each case.

Gillian Merron: The number of bus passenger journeys is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Million 
			  London Greater Manchester 
			 1985-86 1,152 357 
			 1986-87 1,164 267 
			 1987-88 1,207 310 
			 1988-89 1,211 297 
			 1989-90 1,188 291 
			 1990-91 1,178 270 
			 1991-92 1,149 260 
			 1992-93 1,129 252 
			 1993-94 1,117 236 
			 1994-95 1,155 226 
			 1995-96 1,193 224 
			 1996-97 1,230 212 
			 1997-98 1,281 211 
			 1998-99 1,266 217 
			 1999-2000 1,294 202 
			 2000-01 1,347 204 
			 2001-02 1,422 208 
			 2002-03 1,527 208 
			 2003-04 1,692 206 
			 2004-05 1,777 203 
			 Source: DfT Annual Surveys of PSV Operators, 
		
	
	The figures in the table include journeys made by non-residents. The proportion of residents who used buses at least once a year is available from the National Travel Survey (NTS), as follows:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Greater London Greater Manchester 
			 1998 80 63 
			 1999 81 63 
			 2000 79 59 
			 2001 80 55 
			 2003 77 60 
		
	
	The NTS has recorded the proportion of people using buses at county level only since 1998, and on an alternate-year basis only since 2002. Data for all available years are shown in the aforementioned table.

Liverpool Airport

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger flights (a) commenced and (b) terminated at Liverpool John Lennon International Airport in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The number of passenger flights that commenced and terminated at Liverpool John Lennon International Airport is as follows:
	
		
			 Number of passenger flights to/from Liverpool airport 2003-05 
			 Thousand 
			  Commenced Terminated 
			 2003 16.0 16.0 
			 2004 17.5 17.4 
			 2005 22.8 22.8 
			 Note : Excludes air taxis (charter flights operated by aircraft below 15 tonnes maximum takeoff weight authorised)Source: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Airports Statistics

Liverpool Airport

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger movements were recorded at Liverpool John Lennon International airport in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: Information on passenger movements at Liverpool John Lennon International airport for last three years is as follows:
	
		
			 Passenger movements at John Lennon International airport: 2003-05 
			 thousand 
			  Number 
			 2003 3,175 
			 2004 3,352 
			 2005 4,409 
			 Note:  Passenger traffic carried on air taxi (charter flights operated by aircraft below 15 tonnes maximum takeoff weight authorised) services is excluded.  Source:  Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Airports Statistics

M26

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated date is in which the M26 between junctions one and two are expected to be resurfaced with quieter surfacing.

Stephen Ladyman: Resurfacing was carried out at seven locations on the M26 between J1 and J2A in 2005-06.
	The works had been identified to treat areas of life expired carriageway and, in total, 17.6 lane kilometres (approximately a third of the total area) were resurfaced using a low noise material.
	Subject to the availability of funding and the rate of deterioration of the road surface it is expected that resurfacing the remaining carriageway between junctions J1 and 2A Eastbound will take place in 2008-09 and westbound, between J2A and J1, in 2009-10. Low noise surfacing will be used and this will complete the resurfacing of the carriageways between junctions 1 and 2A.

Nottingham East Midlands Airport

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many overseas visitors arrived at Nottingham East Midlands airport in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The information available on the estimated number of overseas passengers on international flights at Nottingham East Midlands airport is as follows:
	
		
			 Nottingham East Midlands airport, overseas passengers on international flights 
			  Thousand 
			 1975 23 
			 1983 31 
			 1992-93 80 
			 1999 132 
			 2003 239 
			 Source:  Civil Aviation Authority passenger surveys. 
		
	
	These figures include both arrivals and departures. Information on nationality is not collected every year at this airport.

Nottingham East Midlands Airport

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British passengers have flown out on international flights from Nottingham East Midlands airport in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The information available on the estimated number of United Kingdom passengers on international flights at Nottingham East Midlands airport is as follows:
	
		
			 Nottingham East Midlands airport, United Kingdom passengers on international flights 
			  Thousand 
			 1975 335 
			 1983 648 
			 1992-93 891 
			 1999 1,661 
			 2003 3,104 
			 Source:  Civil Aviation Authority passenger surveys. 
		
	
	These figures include both arrivals and departures. Information on nationality is not collected every year at this airport.

Railways

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the data on which the specifications in future rail franchise tender documents are based are made available to the public.

Derek Twigg: The non-commercially sensitive data on which the specifications for rail franchise tender documents are based is already available to the public via the following, and includes:
	TEMPRO forecasts (Trip End Model Presentation Program)dft.gsi.gov.uk.
	NATA (New Approach to Appraisal)dft.gsi.gov.uk
	Standard industry demand models and growth trend data is owned by the Office of Rail Regulation and ATOC (www.rail-reg.gov.uk and www.atoc.org
	Journey data is available from the Office of Rail Regulation .
	Commercially sensitive data, which is usually owned by Train Operating Companies is generally not available to the public.

Road Accidents

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many road traffic accidents resulting in fatality occurred in Suffolk in each year since 1997; and how many deaths these caused in total;
	(2)  how many serious motorcycle accidents occurred in Suffolk in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many pedestrians have been seriously injured as a result of road traffic accidents in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of (a) fatal accidents and fatalities (b) serious accidents involving a motorcycle and (c) pedestrians seriously injured in personal injury road accidents, reported to the police in Suffolk in each year between 1997 and 2004 (the latest for which figures are available) are given in the table.
	
		
			 Number of fatal accidents, fatalities, serious accidents involving a motorcycle and pedestrians seriously injured in Suffolk: 1997 to 2004 
			  Fatal accidents Number of fatalities Serious accidents involving motorcycles(1) Pedestrians seriously injured 
			 1997 42 43 70 62 
			 1998 21 23 59 56 
			 1999 45 48 72 56 
			 2000 50 56 80 59 
			 2001 49 53 75 41 
			 2002 42 43 64 41 
			 2003 50 60 69 42 
			 2004 40 42 70 55 
			 (1 )Includes motorcycles and scooters, but excludes mopeds.

Road Safety

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle accidents occurred on (a) A roads and (b) motorways in Lancashire in each year since 1990; and how many (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries there were as a result in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of road accidents reported to the police on (a) A roads and (b) motorways in Lancashire and the resulting, (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries in each year from 1990 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are given in the table.
	
		
			 Accidents, fatalities and serious injuries on A roads and motorways in Lancashire(excluding Unitary Authorities): 1990-2004 
			  A roads Motorways 
			  Accidents Fatalities Serious Injuries Accidents Fatalities Serious Injuries 
			 1990 2,038 54 398 229 15 75 
			 1991 1,954 45 377 164 11 44 
			 1992 2,044 58 424 207 8 46 
			 1993 1,983 42 442 222 7 70 
			 1994 2,127 53 513 254 8 91 
			 1995 1,968 40 488 220 6 67 
			 1996 1,988 37 440 241 8 71 
			 1997 2,033 36 451 364 7 70 
			 1998 1,863 37 394 358 6 65 
			 1999 1,864 34 398 343 9 58 
			 2000 1,813 28 356 286 5 60 
			 2001 1,886 32 349 299 7 42 
			 2002 1,887 30 319 332 2 55 
			 2003 1,673 31 328 337 8 54 
			 2004 1,848 27 358 388 5 50